Drivetrain bucking........

Last month I installed a new set of unit bearings(Timken) and a set of Ten Factory axles. Now when I turn hard right(slow speed) I get some form of bucking/binding in the knuckles?

I found the problem, the yoke ears are rubbing at full turn. Since I've never adjusted the stops, I will clearance the ears!

That will weaken them......

And you may have already damaged the u-joint needle bearings

That's a no to both issues! I only need the remove about .005"-.01" and that would be putting a radius on the edge of the ears. The machining process leaves a very hard 90* edge which would have less tendency to crack if they had a good radius/polish on them! As far as damaging them, I know this only occurred when at full lock @ about 1/4MPH and no load!

RCP Phx said:

That's a no to both issues! I only need the remove about .005"-.01" and that would be putting a radius on the edge of the ears. The machining process leaves a very hard 90* edge which would have less tendency to crack if they had a good radius/polish on them! As far as damaging them, I know this only occurred when at full lock @ about 1/4MPH and no load!

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Well, do what ya want !!!!

99% of the time, when you remove metal from a part, you weaken it....may not be enough to matter, but you do. In some cases, it doesn't. If what you are saying is true, then you may be ok there.


And good luck on not having damaged the u-joints. I watched a set get trashed once in a similar situation on a front driveshaft because the shop put the front leaf springs in backwards which jacked up the pinion angle so bad the ears on the driveshaft bound up. It took less than 5 revs of the driveshaft to crush the needle bearings.

The only load on it was the spinning driveshaft...engine was at idle, and the truck was in the air on the lift. The 'load' was provided by the driveshaft shaft ears & the pinion yoke ears trying to occupy the same space at the same time, as in your case.



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In your case the driveshaft had no where to go, In my case the steering wheel just backs off till the rubbing goes away!

TRCM said:

99% of the time, when you remove metal from a part, you weaken it...

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That's not a good theory to live by, metal condition is way more important than size. I've "gun - drilled " parts for years, they usually improve at least 10%!

RCP Phx said:

That's not a good theory to live by, metal condition is way more important than size. I've "gun - drilled " parts for years, they usually improve at least 10%!

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That's why I said 99% of the time. You may have gun-drilled axles to increase torsional strength, but I never have...so just you & I cut the 10% you mention down to 5% when averaged out.

The 99% I mentioned encompasses everyone....not the 1 or 2 people who may actually have a need to do such things.

I once polished a set of connecting rods.....and ya know what ?? I weakened them cuz I didn't know what I was doing at the time. Ended up throwing them away cuz I removed so much metal they wouldn't balance.

Most people on here (or in general) have no clue how to remove metal from parts without damaging or weakening them, because they don't know what they are doing.

Yes, removing a sharp egde or angle or stress riser can make a material stronger, or at least less susceptible to cracking. Gun-drilling an axle makes it torsionally stronger. Cryo freezing gears can make them less susceptible to cracking by re-aligning the molecules. Quenching steel makes it stronger.

Does everyone on here know how to do these things ?? NO

My comment was aimed at the majority, those who may say, well, so & so did it, and it was ok, then they go and remove material not knowing really what they are doing, and end up screwing the thing up to bad to use or even worse.

The 1% is for those who KNOW how & why to remove material to increase strength vice weaken the part.

You sir, are in that 1%. And I agree, metal condition is more important than size, but the type of metal is also important, and whether it is cast, machined, or forged.